UFC

In the main event, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski (25-1 ...

See The Fight Results As They Happen, Watch Post-Fight Interviews With The Winners And More From RAC Arena In Perth, Western Australia.

[Official Scorecards](https://www.ufc.com/news/official-judges-scorecards-ufc-284-makhachev-vs-volkanovski) ](https://plus.espn.com/ufc/ppv?ex_cid=DSS-OFF-UFC-INARTICLE-EN) [Alexander Volkanovski](/athlete/alexander-volkanovski)(25-1, fighting out of Windang, NSW) will attempt to make history yet again by becoming the first Australian to reach double champ status [Watch On ESPN+](https://www.ufc.com/ppv) [Josh Emmett](/athlete/josh-emmett)(18-2, fighting out of Sacramento, CA), currently ranked No.5 UFC featherweight, has five straight wins and is coming off a split decision win over Calvin Kattar in June [Watch On ESPN+](https://www.ufc.com/ppv) [UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski](/event/ufc-284), live from RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia. The Mexican-born striker has just one loss in his past five fights [Jack Jenkins](/athlete/jack-jenkins)(10-2, fighting out of Melbourne, Australia) will make his UFC debut after winning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series earlier this year. [Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski](/athlete/alexander-volkanovski) will take on newly crowned UFC lightweight champion, [Islam Makhachev](/athlete/islam-makhachev) in a five round championship bout. [Justin Tafa](/athlete/justin-tafa)(5-3, fighting out of Brisbane, Australia) will face American, [Parker Porter](/athlete/parker-porter)(13-7, fighting out of Hartford, Connecticut) [Watch On ESPN+](https://www.ufc.com/ppv) [Tyson Pedro](/athlete/tyson-pedro)(9-3, fighting out of Sydney, Australia) will take on [Modestas Bukauskas](/athlete/Modestas-Bukauskas)(13-5, fighting out of London, England by way of Klaipeda, Lithuania) [Watch On ESPN+](https://www.ufc.com/ppv) Jenkins will face [Don Shainis](/athlete/don-shainis)(12-4, fighting out of Stoughton, Massachusetts) at featherweight [Watch On ESPN+](https://www.ufc.com/ppv) [Loma Lookboonmee](/athlete/Loma-Lookboonmee)(7-2, fighting out of Phuket, Thailand) meets [Elise Reed](/athlete/elise-reed)(6-2, fighting out of Princeton, New Jersey) at strawweight [Watch On ESPN+](https://www.ufc.com/ppv)

Islam Makhachev's first defense of his lightweight title will take place in the early hours of Saturday morning against featherweight champion Alexander ...

In 2018, she took out Cris Cyborg in the first round to become the women's featherweight champion as well. Almost a year later, in 2016, he defeated Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight belt. Before vacating the light-heavyweight title, DC defeated Stipe Miocic to win the heavyweight title. This means that both titles and the honor of joining the small club of champions in two divisions simultaneously are at stake at UFC 284 for the Australian. The odds are on the Russian to win. In the days of Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, for example, it might have happened, but that's not the way things were done.

UFC favourite Brittney Palmer stunned in a bikini as she holidays in Mexico.The promotion is Down Under this weekend for UFC 284 in Perth.But fight fa.

Her latest post also featured a snap of a series of drinks being clinked in front of a stunning sunset. Instead, she has taken a break in Mexico. UFC favourite Brittney Palmer stunned in a bikini as she holidays in Mexico.

Saturday, Feb 11, 2023 at 8:00PM. RAC Arena | Map. live from the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, Islam Makhachev defends his UFC Lightweight Championship ...

In addition, we’re also covering the UFC 284 “Prelims” undercard bouts streaming live on ESPN and ESPN+ in a separate thread RIGHT HERE, beginning promptly at 6 p.m. Watch MMA Fighting’s UFC 284 Watch Party at 9:45 p.m. You can also purchase ESPN+ for $9.99/month and then buy UFC 284 for $79.99. You can also stream UFC pay-per-view events live on Hulu. In UFC 284’s co-main event, top-ranked Featherweight contenders Yair Rodriguez (No. You need an active subscription to both Hulu and ESPN+ (individual plans start at $9.99/each or you can purchase the Disney Bundle) and then you can buy the event through ESPN+. Hometown heroes Justin Tafa (heavyweight) and Jack Della Maddalena (welterweight) will also see main card PPV action. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) fans a special championship doubleheader with the UFC 284 pay-per-view (PPV) event, headlined by the “Champion vs. You can stream UFC 284 on Saturday, and Sunday, of course, is the hotly anticipated regular season matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and Boston Celtics! UFC 284 is exclusive to ESPN+, so if you’re looking to stream this event, non-ESPN+ subscribers will need to sign up for ESPN+ (monthly or annual) and then purchase UFC 284, as PPVs are only available to ESPN+ subscribers. If you’re already an ESPN+ subscriber, you can purchase UFC 284 for $79.99. You can also purchase an ad-free Hulu version of the bundle for $19.99/month.

Aussie featherweight star Jack Jenkins has emerged victorious on his UFC debut, out-pointing Don Shainis in a dominant unanimous decision victory.

It was one-way traffic in the third as Jenkins enjoyed plenty of success with the takedowns en route to a victory on the scorecards, earning two 30-27 scores and a 29-28 score. However, with less than 30 seconds to go, Jenkins then took Shainis down and almost slipped in a rear-naked choke but the American was able to squirm out of trouble as the horn sounded. Shainis managed to provide more resistance in the second round and managed to take Jenkins down to the ground and postured up in full mount. Culibao copped a brutal spinning heel kick from Baghdasaryan in the first round, with the Armenian’s heel catching the Aussie right in the Jatz crackers. In the second round, Culibao thought he copped a headbutt from Baghdasaryan but the referee did not halt the tense contest. Josh Culibao was the third Australian to secure a win in Perth with a stunning victory over Melsik Baghdasaryan.

Follow live as featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski challenges lightweight title holder Islam Makhachev, after Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett clash ...

[In the co-main event, Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett will clash](/sport/ufc/ufc-284-card-makhachev-volkanovski-rodriguez-emmett-b2274591.html) to crown an interim featherweight champion, determining who will be next in line for Volkanovski at 145lbs. [The Russian claimed the vacant belt by submitting Charles Oliveira](/sport/ufc/ufc-280-results-oliveira-makhachev-khabib-b2208565.html) in November, following in the footsteps of his coach and childhood friend Khabib Nurmagomedov as 155lbs champion. [Volkanovski’s dominant run atop the featherweight division](/sport/ufc/ufc-276-results-adesanya-cannonier-volkanovski-holloway-b2114656.html) has secured him the status of [the UFC’s pound-for-pound top-ranked fighter](/sport/ufc/ufc-rankings-fighters-p4p-list-2023-b2271258.html), and now the Australian sets his sights on becoming the promotion’s fifth dual-weight champion ever, [taking on Makhachev in Perth](/sport/ufc/ufc-284-uk-start-time-makhachev-volkanovski-b2274590.html).

Can Alexander Volkanovski make UFC history, or will Islam Makhachev end the Aussie's momentum in front family and friends? The Sporting News will provide ...

ET ET GMT The Sporting News may earn an affiliate commission through our links when you sign up for a streaming service. New subscribers can pay a bundle price of $124.98 for the UFC 284 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription, which offers savings of more than 30 percent. and Mexico on the Makhachev and Volkanovski should make their way to the octagon around 12:15 a.m. - Main card: 10 p.m. Makhachev holds the record for least absorbed strikes (0.95) in UFC history. The strike-happy Volkanovski faces a fighter in Makhachev who barely gets touched inside the octagon. He has done it all in the featherweight division and is looking to add to his nickname of “The Great." The fight will be in Volkanovski’s home of Australia, inside the RAC Arena. At UFC 284, two of the top fighters in MMA today face off for lightweight gold.

See How The Judges Scored Every Round Of UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski, Live From RAC Arena In Perth, Western Australia.

](https://plus.espn.com/ufc/ppv?ex_cid=DSS-OFF-UFC-INARTICLE-EN) [Results, Interviews & More ](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-284-makhachev-vs-volkanovski-results-winner-interviews-lightweight-featherweight) [Loma Lookboonmee](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/Loma-Lookboonmee) defeats Elise Reed by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 0:44 of Round 2. [UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski](/event/ufc-284), live from RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia. [Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski](/athlete/alexander-volkanovski) will take on newly crowned UFC lightweight champion, [Islam Makhachev](/athlete/islam-makhachev) in a five round championship bout. [Alexander Volkanovski](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/alexander-volkanovski) [Watch On ESPN+](https://www.ufc.com/ppv) [Islam Makhachev](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/islam-makhachev) [Josh Emmett](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/josh-emmett) [Watch On ESPN+](https://www.ufc.com/ppv) [Yair Rodriguez](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/yair-rodriguez) [Jimmy Crute](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/jimmy-crute) [Tyson Pedro](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/tyson-pedro) [Josh Culibao](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/josh-culibao)

Saturday, Feb 11, 2023 at 8:15PM. | Map. How to watch UFC 284 on ESPN+ PPV via live online stream. We go over how to watch the UFC's 284 pay-per-view of ...

In terms of future battles in the lightweight and featherweight classes, the main event between Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev will be extremely significant. The main card for UFC 284 will be live-streamed on ESPN+ PPV, which will cost $69.99 for the full card. The early prelims for UFC 284 will be live-streamed on UFC Fight Pass, and are free for those that pay monthly for the channel. The four-fight preliminary card for UFC 284 will air on ESPN and ESPN+, and is free to all subscribers. There is a five-bout main card highlighted by a showdown for the UFC lightweight title between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski. The event will air across the ESPN network, with the main card broadcast via ESPN+ PPV.

A champion vs. champion superfight tips the marquee on Saturday night inside the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

🏆— UFC (@ufc) In the closing moments of the fight, Menifield dropped Crute along the fence but Crute managed to survive the round by leaning on his wrestling. Bukauskas landed arguably the best combination of punches in the closing seconds of the fight and that may have been enough to swing him the round. Alonzo Meneifield ends in a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28). Menifield cracked Crute with a big punch and Crute hit the mat shortly after. Parker Porter is next up on the UFC 284 main card. The big boys are about to collide. Volkanovski marks not only a fight between the UFC lightweight and featherweight champions but also a fight between the No. The main card begins at 10 p.m. The Aussie challenges lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in his backyard at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia for this rare super fight. A champion vs. Maddalena has quickly become a cult favorite among the hardcore fanbase with first-round knockouts in all three of his UFC fights.

live from the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, Islam Makhachev defends his UFC Lightweight Championship against featherweight title holder Alexander Volkanovski ...

In addition, we’re also covering the UFC 284 “Prelims” undercard bouts streaming live on ESPN and ESPN+ in a separate thread RIGHT HERE, beginning promptly at 6 p.m. Watch MMA Fighting’s UFC 284 Watch Party at 9:45 p.m. You can also purchase ESPN+ for $9.99/month and then buy UFC 284 for $79.99. You can also stream UFC pay-per-view events live on Hulu. In UFC 284’s co-main event, top-ranked Featherweight contenders Yair Rodriguez (No. You need an active subscription to both Hulu and ESPN+ (individual plans start at $9.99/each or you can purchase the Disney Bundle) and then you can buy the event through ESPN+. Hometown heroes Justin Tafa (heavyweight) and Jack Della Maddalena (welterweight) will also see main card PPV action. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) fans a special championship doubleheader with the UFC 284 pay-per-view (PPV) event, headlined by the “Champion vs. You can stream UFC 284 on Saturday, and Sunday, of course, is the hotly anticipated regular season matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and Boston Celtics! UFC 284 is exclusive to ESPN+, so if you’re looking to stream this event, non-ESPN+ subscribers will need to sign up for ESPN+ (monthly or annual) and then purchase UFC 284, as PPVs are only available to ESPN+ subscribers. If you’re already an ESPN+ subscriber, you can purchase UFC 284 for $79.99. You can also purchase an ad-free Hulu version of the bundle for $19.99/month.

After years of campaigning from his family, friends and fans, Pulver (27-19-1) will be inducted as part of the class of 2023, the promotion announced Saturday ...

Las Vegas – UFC today announced that former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver will be inducted into the 2023 Class of the UFC Hall of Fame as a Pioneer.

His next title defense would take place on January 11, 2002, against future UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn in the main event of UFC®35: THROWDOWN. Jens would compete 13 times across a number of MMA promotions over the next four years, most notably PRIDE and Shooto, before returning to UFC to face Joe Lauzon at UFC® 63: HUGHES vs. Pulver would vacate his title and leave UFC after this event. Pulver would lose his return bout against Lauzon and his next fight, a rematch against Penn as the main event of The Ultimate Fighter® Season 5 Finale. Jens would defeat Dennis Hallman via unanimous decision and become the first UFC lightweight champion to defend their title. This event would serve as the first UFC event sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Jens could do it all in the Octagon, and it will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.” Jens returned to the Octagon for his fourth UFC bout against John Lewis at UFC® 28: HIGH STAKES, which took place on November 17, 2000. The 2023 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by Toyo Tires, will take place during the 11th annual UFC International Fight Week this summer in Las Vegas and will be streamed live on UFC FIGHT PASS. Jens made his UFC debut as part of UFC® 22: ONLY ONE CAN BE CHAMPION, which took place on September 24, 1999, in Lake Charles, Louisiana. After the event, the division was renamed to lightweight, making Jens UFC’s first lightweight champion. The Pioneers Era category includes athletes who turned professional before November 17, 2000 (when the unified rules of mixed martial arts were adopted), are a minimum age of 35, or who have been retired for one year or more.

Pulver started his mixed martial arts career in 1999, fighting twice in tournaments early in the year and picking up a win over future lightweight title ...

"No one will ever forget his knockout of John Lewis or his win over BJ Penn in their first fight, and his fight against Urijah Faber in 2008 was the biggest fight in WEC history at the time. Pulver would continue to compete in and outside of the Octagon at an incredible rate. The UFC's inaugural lightweight champion is officially Hall of Fame bound.

The moment Jens found out he was inducted into the UFC HOF; such an amazing video with so much real emotion. Well deserved for a true legend of the sport.

That season launched the careers of [Royce Gracie](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/656/royce-gracie), [Randy Couture](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/41/randy-couture), and [Ken Shamrock](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/729/ken-shamrock) in the UFC Hall of Fame Pioneer Wing. Well deserved for a true legend of the sport.— AFeldmanMMA (@afeldMMA) His feud with It wasn’t until Pulver defeated Uno at Penn](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/73/b-j-penn), [Caol Uno](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/361/caol-uno), and [Joe Stevenson](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/314/joe-stevenson).

Yair Rodriguez captured the interim featherweight title with a second-round submission of Josh Emmett in the co-main event of UFC 284 on Saturday night.

Volkanovski fought in the main event Saturday night, dropping a unanimous decision to [Islam Makhachev](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3332412/islam-makhachev) for the lightweight title. [Alexander Volkanovski](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3949584/alexander-volkanovski) in a unification bout at a later date. [Brandon Moreno](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3027545/brandon-moreno).

One of the greatest MMA fighters of all time will make his return to the octagon on March 4. Jon Jones, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, ...

ET ET GMT The Sporting News may earn an affiliate commission through our links when you sign up for a streaming service. New subscribers can pay a bundle price of $124.98 for the UFC 285 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription, which offers savings of more than 30 percent. and Mexico on the Jones and Gane should make their way to the octagon around 12:15 a.m. - Main event: 12:15 a.m. - Main card: 10 p.m. 12 p.m. - Prelims: 8 p.m. Subsequently, Ngannou became a free agent, losing the heavyweight title in the process. One of the greatest MMA fighters of all time will make his return to the octagon on March 4.

Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, and round by round scoring for UFC 284 from the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.

The televised four-fight prelims will air on ESPN+ and big ESPN and will start at 8pm ET/5pm PT. About the author: Dayne Fox is a contributing writer and analyst for Bloody Elbow. There are four early prelims on ESPN+ and Fight Pass that will kick off around 6:00pm ET/3:00pm PT.

Bryce Mitchell will return to action at UFC 288 on May 6 after succumbing to a loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 282 last year.

Mitchell stated in a recent interview with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto that he accepted the fight with Ilia Topuria despite having the flu. Pearce lost to UFC veteran Joe Lauzon in his debut fight under the UFC banner via TKO. “I had a couple thousand bucks in my bank account, and [The UFC] told me that, ‘If you don’t take this fight, we’re not finding you one until February. He fought Jacob Rosales and won by TKO in the third round, securing a coveted UFC contract. These claims are now water under the bridge since Mitchell has confirmed that he is returning to action later this year. However, he has dispelled these claims by asserting that he was not thinking straight after the bout.

The crowd at the RAC Arena in Perth will certainly be amped for Australian native Volkanovski. The world featherweight champion capped his 2022 with a ...

A spinning back kick from Rodriguez misses but he lands a hard right hand to the head. I don't think a gassed Crute is going to have recovered with his legs back by the start of the second round. Now Makhachev staggers Volkanovski with a punch, dropping him to a knee. That was a round of two halves as Volkanovski took the first and Makhachev came on strong for the second. Another kick to the body followed by a compact right hand. Volkanovski connects on a left hand to the head. He's grappling Volkanovski on the ground now, trying to stretch him out, take his back fully and threaten a submission. Volkanovski pumps a jab from the back foot but Makhachev is stalking him and forward fighting with some pressure. Makhachev with a left moments later but Volkanovski advances and scores on a quick flurry. Makhachev grabs hold of a striking Volkanovski and takes him down. Volkanovski fires a few punches that land and now he takes stuffs a Makhachev takedown. Though Volkanovski would drop Makhachev a couple of times in the fight, he was never able to deliver additional, significant damage.

Islam Makhachev secured his first title defense as lightweight champion against Alexander Volkanovski via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 284 ...

It started with sending the king of the featherweight division back to 145 pounds. Since Khabib Nurmagomedov retired in 2020, Charles Oliveira has won the belt, vacated it because he missed weight and ultimately lost his opportunity to reclaim it against Makhachev. Makhachev started to lean more heavily on his wrestling as the fight progressed. So far, he's used his strength and wrestling to dominate lightweight opponents. But we also saw that his takedown defense wasn't enough to keep the fight standing the whole time. The question of what Volkanovski would look like as a lightweight was answered pretty quickly.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday's card in Australia, including one to a surging home city fan favorite.

Makhachev won a unanimous decision with two judges scoring the fight 48-47 and the other 49-46.

From the moment it was announced as the main event for Saturday's UFC 284 event in Perth, Australia, Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev's...

Yet UFC 229—the card that the fight headlined—remains the biggest pay-per-view in UFC history by a massive margin. McGregor challenged Khabib Nurmagomedov—Makhachev's friend and mentor—for the lightweight belt in 2018. However, he is riding an impressive submission win over Michael Chandler and remains one of the lightweight division's greatest fighters, so it wouldn't be a travesty. While Dariush should clearly be the next man up for Makhachev and the lightweight belt, circumstances may again deprive him of the opportunity. That could temporarily derail his title dreams, but should that fight happen and he gets by the Brazilian, the next lightweight title shot is irrefutably his. Poirier is never in a boring fight, so we can count on this one being exciting for as long as it lasts. That streak has earned him the No. I know Conor McGregor hasn't won a fight since he defeated a shopworn Donald Cerrone in 2020. Champion-versus-champion fights are always a big deal, and this one felt particularly special given the pound-for-pound stature of the two men. However, it was close enough that a win for either man would have been justifiable and that neither man would lose any ground in defeat. The latter division even has an interim champion now after Yair Rodriguez defeated Josh Emmett in the UFC 284 co-main event. You'd be hard-pressed to find anybody who didn't love the idea of Saturday night's Makhachev vs.

Jens Pulver, the first lightweight champion in UFC history, has been inducted into the pioneer wing of the promotion's Hall of Fame.

Nicknamed "Lil Evil," he went on to defend the title twice, against [Dennis Hallman](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2488860/dennis-hallman) and [BJ Penn](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2335629/bj-penn), in what was the peak of his career. He will become the 18th member of the UFC's pioneer wing, alongside two of his former teammates in Miletich and Hughes. [Caol Uno](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2354243/caol-uno) at UFC 30 in Atlantic City.

This one was worth traveling for. Though the UFC staff had to pack bags for a 19-hour flight to cover the 9530 miles between Las Vegas and Perth, ...

Rodrigues followed with a multipunch volley, including shots to the body, that crumpled Ross to his knees and prompted a quick intervention from referee Matt Wynne. The dissenting judge saw it 29-28 in the other direction, with Tukhugov winning Rounds 1 and 2 before Brener took the third. "I practice grappling, and as soon as he gave me the neck, it was done," the 26-year-old Perth-based fighter said. Neither man got the fight to the floor despite numerous attempts, with Brener winding up 0-for-3 on takedown tries while his opponent missed on all four chances. But we got the win, and I'm coming up from here." Porter has been finished in one round in all three of his UFC losses, including a submission and two KOs. "I wanted to come here and win, but Alonzo really surprised me with his strength and speed," Crute said. Referee Jason Herzog waved things off as the stricken American crashed to his knee and rolled to his back. "I thought it might take three rounds, and I'd beat him for 15 minutes in front of my family," he said. "He didn't respect my wrestling and grappling enough, and I didn't respect his striking enough, either. I needed a tough guy and a tough challenge." I've been dreaming of this moment since I was a kid."

Volkanovski loses unanimous decision to Islam Makhachev in Perth. It is the Wollongong fighter's first ever Octagon defeat.

A cacophony of boos rang out among the 14,000 fans as the Russian’s arm was lifted to signal the result via unanimous decision. You like, or you don’t like, I am best fighter in the world right now.” “But it was a fun fight. Wollongong-based featherweight champion Volkanovski had been vying to become just the fifth UFC fighter to hold two titles at once. I was expecting to win. Volkanovski was humble in defeat.

Islam Makhachev (24-1-0) is still the undisputed UFC lightweight champion of the world after defeating Alexander Volkanovski (25-2-0) via unanimous decision ...

Even though Makhachev seemed to be more physically hurt, he controlled the pace through the first four rounds. 1 PFP fighter in the world and continue his 12-fight winning streak, but he couldn't finish the job. Unless they see a knocked out individual, nothing will convince them their fighter lost. [Volkanovski vs Makhachev: One of the five greatest fights in UFC history](https://www.marca.com/en/ufc/2023/02/11/63e78b0822601db5108b4599.html) - UFC. [Makhachev vs Volkanovski: First time UFC pits top two ranked fighters against each other](https://www.marca.com/en/ufc/2023/02/11/63e7a5eb22601d7c448b45de.html)

Lightweight champion claims points win over featherweight holder Volkanovski in Perth.

I’m a champion, best fighter in the world. “I said I was going to stay active. “Now I’m not just champion; I’m the best fighter in the world. “He so nervous and he say, ‘Why you don’t do this and this?’” said Makhachev, who won the belt last October in Abu Dhabi. Because he was the best fighter in the world. I knew I prepared properly, it was a fun fight. I don’t know, I just go down and in my mind I thought I won four, three rounds and just I don’t want to do some mistake. Meanwhile, Volkanovski congratulated Makhachev on the win, saying he would next return to 145 lbs to defend his featherweight crown against Yair Rodriguez. Now people are going to call me not just champ, but the best fighter in the world. The explosive featherweight, 34, was attempting to become only the fifth fighter in the promotion’s history to hold two belts simultaneously. But from the five rounds I’m sure I improved a lot.” “I landed many good punches, good knees, but this guy is so strong.

Jens Pulver, the first lightweight champion in UFC history, has been inducted into the pioneer wing of the promotion's Hall of Fame.

Nicknamed "Lil Evil," he went on to defend the title twice, against [Dennis Hallman](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2488860/dennis-hallman) and [BJ Penn](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2335629/bj-penn), in what was the peak of his career. He will become the 18th member of the UFC's pioneer wing, alongside two of his former teammates in Miletich and Hughes. [Caol Uno](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2354243/caol-uno) at UFC 30 in Atlantic City.